Brighton’s annual dedicated metal festival Mammothfest makes a bigger impact each year and this year’s event was no exception, especially as they impressively managed to bag 3 UK exclusive headliners with Rotting Christ, Fleshgod Apocalypse and Amenra.

Since its return in 2014 Mammothfest has always mustered up a formidable line-up, comprised of heavyweight acts such as Textures, Venom Inc, Sylosis, Entombed, Martyr Defiled and more in the past, as well as always showcasing the best and upcoming talent, they even have a whole stage devoted to this, named the Rikstock stage, after Mammothfest director Steve Dickson lost his close friend and business partner, Rik Mosquero to brain cancer, he went on to name the stage in his honour and highlight the emerging artists, Rik himself was in local band Hole In The Sky who have frequently played the festival, including this year’s event. Along with the bigger calibre acts they bring in each year, the festival has successfully managed to upscale its venue as its new current home is The Arch located on the seafront and is a perfect central spot in Brighton, whereas previously the festival has hosted at different and smaller venues across a weekend, highlighting again the growth and expansion of this massive metal event.

Download festival has a special atmosphere and is regarded as one of the ‘biggest and friendliest’ festivals in the world, and most certainly in the UK, being the largest dedicated rock/metal festival the country has to offer, with 80,000 rock and metal fans descending onto Donnington Park in Leicestershire to witness rock’s finest. The festival has hosted the biggest names in rock such as Metallica, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and much more. Festival organiser, Andy Copping describes the festival as the ‘spiritual home of rock’ and anyone who has ever attended will find it hard to disagree, it really does have an amazing atmosphere with everyone united to enjoy their favourite bands. The fact that this year it was some of the best weather Download had seen for years made the three days even more incredible. The weather was on metal’s side and saw the packed weekend shine and go down in spectacular style.

Motionless in White got their moment on the main stage following their hard work. It was an early set but the crowd was out to support them and they had some good participation throughout. Because of their daytime slot frontman Chris Motionless remarked that they couldn’t have lots of lights and stage theatrics, so to pack more of a punch, they played new song ‘Necessary Evil’ from their new album ‘Graveyard Shift’ for the first time to make their set a bit more special. They also played other popular offerings ‘Devil’s Night’ and ‘Eternally Yours’ which may have also won over some new fans.

American pop punk act Four Year Strong played the smallest stage going at Download Festival, the Firestone stage, giving fans a chance to see a more intimate set before taking to a bigger stage later in the day, however they pull in a big crowd and engulf the small stage, with everyone jumping around and having fun.

Metal giants Mastodon brought the masses to their set and impress with their technically crafted prog mastery and massive hooks. They don’t need overly fancy lighting or production, they just rely on their music and showcase their excessive talent. They played songs across their back catalogue including ‘The Wolf Is Loose’ and ‘Black Tongue from 2011’s ‘The Hunter’ as well as showing their diversity with ‘Show Yourself’ taken from their latest expansive album, The Emperor Of Sand’. A glorious performance.

American heavy groove metallers Five Finger Death Punch were one of the stand out bands of the opening day, delivering a crushing set and mental mosh pits whilst firing off their best songs ‘Never Enough’, ‘Wash It All Away’ and ending with ‘The Bleeding’. However one of the highlights and most moving moments came when they performed the acoustic ‘Remember Everything’. They weren’t afraid to get up close and personal as frontman Ivan Moody and lead guitarist Jason Hook went into the crowd and grabbed the eager fans hands to show them some love back. It was a powerful set that was well balanced with hard-hitting numbers and slower songs. The band were truly humbled by the crowd’s reactions and glad to be back on the main stage at Donnington.

Prophets of rage impressed with their politically charged anthems, which was particularly fitting given the UK general election the day before, so they had plenty to get motivated about in what was their first ever UK show. They went down a storm with everyone pumping their fists and united as one, grooving to their perfect festival anthems. Their set list consisted of all the well-known and classic hits that you would expect from each member, such as Rage Against The Machine’s ‘Killing In The Name’, ‘Testify’, ‘Take The Power Back’, Public Enemy’s ‘Fight The Power’ and Cypress Hill’s ‘Insane In The Brain’. The highlight of their set, and most emotional and beautiful moment, was an instrumental of Audioslave’s ‘Like A Stone’ led by band member and long-time friend guitarist, Tom Morello, which was a great tribute to their fallen comrade and legend Chris Cornell.

Headliners System Of A Down didn’t disappoint, delivering an incredible set comprised of all their best hits, the whole arena was buzzing, singing and head banging to their spectacular non-stop 31 song set; ‘Chop Suey’ was particularly special. They played all the songs the crowd wanted and more, including ending on ‘Sugar’ from their debut self-titled album which was unleashed in 1998 and showcased their weird individual kooky style wonderfully. No other band in the world sounds like them and all their songs translated perfectly blasted out in a festival environment. Let’s hope a new System Of A Down album is on the way soon but in the meantime, we are more than happy to listen to their impressive backlog.

Saturday 10th June

British rap metallers Hacktivist did a great job of opening day two of the festival on the main stage, managing to draw a good crowd and injected some high energy into their early 11 am slot, demonstrating just why they earnt their spot there.

Creeper draws in an even bigger crowd, highlighting that putting them on the main stage was a wise decision with their goth-tinged punk. They take to the stage ahead of their idols AFI. They had good crowd participation, with lots of swaying arms, singing and applause. Definitely a successful main stage debut to be proud of. They offered something a bit different and refreshing with nice powerful live dual vocals from frontman Will Gould and keyboardist/vocalist Hannah Greenwood and a largely fun uplifting sound, which included songs such as ‘Black Rain’, ‘Misery’ and ‘Hiding With Boys’, before ending on a powerful emotive ‘I Choose To Live’, giving a motivational talk about living life instead of in fear, in light of the recent tragic terrorist events in the UK.

Everyone’s favourite pirate metallers Alestorm took to the second stage to play their first ever set at Download, bringing in a large crowd, most of whom were suitable dressed for the occasion, clad in their best pirate outfits. They played all their best party anthems, such as ‘Drink’ and the popular ‘Shipwrecked’. Most of their songs are about drinking, which was perfect for a sunny Saturday afternoon festival vibe. They also treated us to some new songs from their latest album ‘No Grave But The Sea’, including self-titled song ‘Alestorm’, the excellent ‘Mexico’ and their most hilarious and ridiculous offering to date ‘Fucked With An Anchor’ which provided many laughs and lots of fun, with everyone comically shouting as one the lyrics, “Fuck you, you’re a fucking wanker, we’re gonna punch you right in the balls, fuck you, with a fucking anchor, you’re all cunts so fuck you all!”. A definite highlight that won’t be forgotten. Frontman Christopher Bowes later tells us that said “for a brief time we were selling more records than Shikira” with their new album, and asked if anyone had brought or illegally downloaded the album declaring they didn’t care either way. They finish their epic set with their superb cover of Taio Cruz’s ‘Hangover’ which seems fitting. This was a very successful quest for Alestorm and hopefully, we will be seeing them again at Download as a result of this, with their piratical comedic tracks bringing both humour and party vibes, the perfect combination.

American deathcore quintet Suicide Silence took to the Zippo (second) stage next, making for an extreme change of pace and tone, being one of the heaviest bands of the day. They managed to produce some pits and played the likes of the brutal ‘Disengage’ and ‘Conformity’, taken from the latest self-titled album, which was a bit tamer for them, offering up some diversity. However, they seemed to find it hard to build real momentum and therefore didn’t stand out as much as some other bands. This may have been because of the triumphant set Alestorm put on, so in comparison, it seemed a bit bleak and bland.

Punk rock legends AFI put on a mighty performance which also marked their first time gracing the main stage at Download. For some reason the band don’t play in the UK often, which is a damn shame as they put on a flawless performance, especially with Davey Havok’s exceptional and varied vocals. They stormed through their set, barely without a pause, so managed to play all their hits such as opener ‘Girl’s Not Grey’, the classic ‘The Days Of The Phoenix’ and ‘The Leaving Song Pt II’, before ending on the energetic ‘Miss Murder’. They had great presence, aided largely by Davey, who was alluring and engaging, especially as at one point he looked directly into the camera so only his face was visible on big screen, whilst passionately singing and baring his soul and getting up close and personal for the crowds. A very powerful non-stop set.

Florida rockers A Day To Remember have come a long way earning the main stage slot before headliners Biffy Clyro. They make an interesting comical entrance with a voice pretending to be the actual stage talking. As you would expect they draw a large turnout and their catchy anthems cause many to crowd surf and singalong. The open with well-known hit ‘All I Want’, and go on to play other popular songs ‘Right Back At It Again’, new song ‘Naivety’ which is made all the better, as the band kindly decide to throw out free t-shirts to the crowd. They surprised fans with ‘End Of Me’ which they hadn’t played in a while but thought this prestigious appearance was the perfect time to bring it back. Their set saw some of the biggest and best stage productions of the day with well-placed fire and massive beach balls dispersed into the crowd. Saving their best until last, they closed their brilliant and fun set with ‘The Downfall Of Us All’.

Ex-Murderdolls frontman Wednesday 13 and co headline and demolish the Dogtooth stage. His solo project sees some of the best and strongest work he has done to date. The tent was absolutely packed with everyone cheering and doing whatever Wednesday commanded. He said it would be a special show and didn’t disappoint, especially as they enlisted the help of performers Pyrohex who added to the dark creepy ambience with their fire show and undead makeup to match the eeriness of the band. Wednesday 13 had a few outfit changes throughout including a sinister mask on the back of his head which again added to all the wonderfully weird imagery. Following the recent release of new album ‘Condolences’, they primarily focused on this and played single ‘What The Night Brings’, ‘Cadaverous’ and ended on title track ‘Condolences’. A killer and unforgettable set that confirmed just why they were headliners.

Keeping up the dark horror themes, legendary horror-rock filmmaker and musician Rob Zombie headlined the second (Zippo Encore) stage and turned it into his own weird and wonderful world for the duration, with superb visual production, including fire and confetti and theatrics including some alien sex dolls to accompany ‘Well, Everybody’s Fucking in a U.F.O’ with Zombie declaring what a big issue alien abduction in the world is and that not enough people talk about it, which made for a change of subject from the norm. They played all their massive hits such as ‘Living Dead Girl’ and ‘Dragula’ as well as gracing us with some great covers of Ramone’s ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’ and Alice Cooper’s ‘School’s Out’ which went down brilliantly with the huge crowd. Zombie was obviously impressed with the crowd and reaction himself declaring that there was “nowhere else like this in the world”.

I opted for the heavier offering of Rob Zombie who catered for the metal heads on the second stage but I did manage to catch some of the Scottish rock trio and Saturday headliners Biffy Clyro. Despite being an interesting and perhaps slightly controversial headliner choice, they pulled in a massive crowd and played all their best hits, with brilliant stage production and pyrotechnics, before ending on an epic firework display. I think it’s safe to say they won everyone over and completed their first ever Download headliner slot with style.

Sunday 11th June

The first act of the day for me was heavy metallers Orange Goblin from Londonwho had an early slot on the mainstage, but despite this, they had a decent turnout considering and delivered a belting set which ended on the massive ‘Red Tide Rising’.

Melodic extreme metal act In Flames from Sweden had the crowd clapping in anticipation before the emerged on the main stage and later chanted their name in appreciation. Although their music may be serious, lead vocalist Anders Fridén has quite the sense of humour and in between songs he made the crowd laugh with his dismay at the lack of beer they were supplied which he clearly was not impressed with. They end with the crushing ‘Take This Life’ to the joy of fans.

One of the highlights of the whole weekend was glam rock masters Steel Panther with their crude, hilarious and debaucherous antics, which had the vast crowd laughing immensely throughout. You get two for one with them, as the deliver a comedy show just as much as they put on a brilliant rock show. Some particular notable comedic moments were when the band claimed that other bands were trying to sabotage their setup as they are intimated by the ‘best band in the world’, their many sex tales and jokes poking fun at bassist Lexxi Foxx. The best thing about the band is yes they are silly and don’t take themselves seriously, but they are damn good musicians also and demonstrate this with all the best and funniest hits such as ‘Just Like Tiger Woods’, ‘Death To All But Metal’, ‘Poontang Boomerang’ and the standout ’17 Girls In A Row’ where the fittingly invited women on stage, so the stage was absolutely packed with ecstatic women posing and dancing with the band which was a brilliant moment. They closed their epic and slapstick set with the super catchy and perfect festival anthem ‘Party All Day’ (Fuck All Night).

Swedish progressive metallers Opeth brought class and sophistication to the second stage, and simply oozed with skill and craftsmanship from the start to the finish whilst delivering classic songs like ‘Ghost Of Perdition’ and ending on ‘Deliverance’. The new title track song from their new album ‘Sorceress’ made for the perfect opener and worked well in the live environment. Mikael Akerfeldt’s vocals impressed, going from sweet and ethereal to sinister and dark. A stunning set, the only downside being how short it seemed and given some of their songs can be on the long side, they didn’t manage to play all the songs you would expect.

American Thrash metal heroes Slayer headline the second stage and get straight to business with a non-stop relentless set. As you can imagine being one of the heavy hitters of extreme metal they brought carnage and immense mosh pits, only like Slayer could. It was a chilling and exciting moment to hear the monstrous classics ‘Reigning Blood’ and ‘Angel Of Death’ blasted out which they saved for the encore.

So the time came for rock royalty Aerosmith to take to the stage at Donnington for the final time, after many fond memories, with this special performance also marking their last UK show as part of their farewell tour, as a legendary band that have been around impressively for nearly 50 years. They kept the eager crowd waiting, and as the festival neared to an end you saw the full scale of the masses that had descended on the site. They made quite an entrance with a montage video intro accompanied with the dramatic O Fortuna music to show the history of the band and their performances at Donnington over the years. The wait was worth it as they played all their top hits such as ‘Crying’, ‘I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing’ which gets the biggest singalong as expected, along with ‘Dude’ (Looks Like A Lady) and of course in the encore they go out on their world known ‘Walk This Way’. Being a band of their magnitude and reputation they were geared up with massive production and visuals to fit each song such as elevator imagery for ‘Love In An Elevator’ and fire engulfing the band on the screens, adding to the grandeur. One thing is for certain Aerosmith will truly be missed.

This was a special year for Download festival celebrating their fifteenth anniversary and the weather was perfect for the occasion, enhancing the experience and atmosphere whilst watching rock and metal’s finest, including witnessing a few goodbyes and debuts, adding to the rich rock history of Donnington Park. The atmosphere was brilliant, with dedicated rockers seeing the festival as ‘home’ and a place to be yourself and enjoy the music old and new. The increased security in light of the recent tragic events in the UK was dealt with professionally and extremely well and everything was smoothly run, making everyone feel safe and they should be highly praised for this. The bands and the festival goers all had a blast and now we all eagerly await Download 2018.

This marked the third ‘Mammothfest Presents’ show of the year (following hosting headliner shows with Feed The Rhino and Vader), and this time it was a seriously hardcore and metalcore affair, offering more diversity. These shows are aimed at different rock/metal genres and continue to highlight the importance of supporting local acts, especially with this third instalment, as this event was to celebrate the launch of upcoming Worthing metallers Bleed Again debut album ‘Momentum’, and what a way to launch your album, amongst heavyweights such as heavy metal veterans Raging Speedhorn and modern hardcore heroes Brutality Will Prevail who headlined the event.

Confronted

So I unfortunately missed the opening act, Operation Kino on the main stage, so I headed to the Rikstock stage (second stage) to see what was happening there and saw my first band of the day Confronted a crossover hardcore thrash band from the South Coast, UK. I’m very glad I witnessed this – for an opening act to put on an unforgettable and mental set like they did was unforeseen. Vocalist Ryan Hull quite simply was unhinged, with his confrontational and unpredictable stage antics. He literally pushed and shoved the crowd, and got right in your face, and managed to get around in places that he shouldn’t, such as behind the bar and standing on the counter, as well as just randomly and aggressively descending to the floor and laying in awkward places. You can see why they are called Confronted, luckily this went down well with the crowd for the most part, who were enthralled yet perhaps on edge understandably. He also kept getting a floor tom drum out sporadically and dragging and throwing it around whilst amongst the crowd. By the end, he had enough of the drum and smashed through it and wore it on his head, adding to the comical factor of their set. Humour aside, they have a brilliant aggressive sound and went out on a high, closing their energetic, brutal and awe-inspiring set with an impressive cover of Soulfly’s ‘Seek ‘N’ Strike’.

Bleak Falls

After a 3-year break, Worthing act Bleak Falls are back on the live scene, luckily for Brighton, as their melodic emotive hardcore went down well with the crowds, especially aided by front-man Rudi’s passionate, emotive and deep performance. They had great energy and as you would expect after their break, they came back fighting with new song ‘Love Hate Love’ which is the title track taken from their upcoming full-length album, which hopefully will be out soon, but the exact date isn’t yet confirmed.

Five piece metalcore band Everest also from the South of the UK, managed to get the first real mosh pit of the day when commanded. They were very safety conscious giving everyone a heads up so you knew when to expect things to get more savage. Bassist Owen helped engage and get the crowd going more-so by coming into the crowd a few times to rock out with the fans. This was a strong set with their hard hitting sounds receiving some good applause and appreciation from the crowd.

Seek nothing from Germany although they deliver hardcore music, injected some light heartiness into their set through vocalist Mike, with his great sense of humour, including shaming his sister in the crowd for being on the phone, having a dig at themselves for ruining people’s day after all the good bands, and also starting a new saying and getting people shouting “trifle of mosh” which could catch on. Jokes aside they have a great serious sound and ex-bassist Anthony Giles from Brighton made a few guest vocal appearances throughout the set, which made for some good collaborations and dynamics, throwing the mic into the crowd and screaming back at each other.

Death remains have built quite a reputation for their energetic and relentless shows and they lived up to this, with their great melodic sound and dominating stage presence. They recently unleashed their sophomore album ‘Destroy/Rebuild’ and treated us to some new tracks, including closing with the brilliant ‘Rebuild’ which is also the final track on their album. This show marked the end of their tour with tour mates and band of the day Bleed Again, and what a way to finish up.

Bleed Again

The band of the day Worthing metallers Bleed again certainly stood out with a stunning set as they should for their album launch show for the masterful debut album ‘Momentum’. They played all their finest and crowd-pleasing songs, which resulted in many a mental mosh pit, lots of bouncing and plenty of head banging for the entirety of their set. They fittingly opened with the blistering ‘Decimate’ the opening track on the album and went on to play the dominating anthemic likes of ‘Slavery’ and the perfect singalong ‘Icarus’ which had the crowd going wild. Latest single ‘Walk Through The Fire’ made a massive impact with the whole room appreciating their well-crafted melodic metal. They ended their soaring set with ‘Through My Eyes’ which gave the pit one more heavy workout. It is clear why they have earnt a respectful and well-known reputation for their energetic live shows, and have built a very loyal local fanbase as a result. With a brilliant debut now under their belt, Bleed Again are ones to watch and will no doubt be earning a lot more fans. For their hard work and efforts the man behind Mammothfest, Steve Dickson kindly presented them with a bottle of bubbly to celebrate their debut release and achievements.

British hardcore punk act Giants from Essex, UK were high on the bill with their great sound, which embraces melodic hardcore and the essence of punk. Unfortunately there was a low turnout for their set for some reason, but nonetheless, everyone who was there enjoyed themselves and enthusiastically danced and head-banged along to their catchy tunes from them 2016 debut album ‘Break The Cycle’.

Raging Speedhorn

Second headliners Raging Speedhorn from Northamptonshire UK have been around since 1998 on and off and quickly established themselves in the UK metal scene. This was a special show as it was vocalist Frank Regan’s first show back with the band, joining other vocalist John Loughlin to deliver a dynamic and crushing unstoppable blow. The energy, intensity and craftsmanship were immense throughout their entire set. The crowds were constantly moving and some extreme circle pits opened up, with fans running around madly pushing each other in what was a very packed room. Their years of experience shined through, as their performance was tight, commanding and they possessed great stage presence and interaction. They have recently released their fifth album ‘Lost Ritual’ and played the instant fan favourite ‘Motorhead’. They also as you would expect played well known and popular classic songs such as ‘Thumper’ and the hard-hitting ‘The Hate Song’ which made for ridiculous crowd reactions. This was a punishing and highly enjoyable set, and was definitely one of the best sets of the day which you would expect from these heavy metal veterans.

Brutality Will Prevail

It was clear to see that Welsh hardcore outfit Brutality Will Prevail were headlining, and who better for a day of predominately hardcore music to close the day. The level of crowd participation and mental antics went to a whole new level. There were safety barriers in place between the band and the fans, which was immediately broken as the fans were ravenous and grabbing front-man Louis Gauthier and sharing the mic with him, showing their devotion by passionately screaming the lyrics. From start to finish it was constant spinning kicks, circle pits and stage invasion, with fans wildly getting on stage and jumping off. Later in the set, they triumphantly carried Louis high above their heads to show their appreciation of their set and by the end, it was all too much, the crowd just couldn’t contain themselves as they fully engulfed the stage. The band themselves had heaps of energy impressively jumping at any given opportunity and with no depletion of their stamina in sight. They played some new songs from their latest killer album ‘In Dark Places’ such as the dark anthemic ‘Forever Restless’ and ‘Penitence’, as well playing some well-known tracks from them back catalogue, including their most popular song ‘The Path’. Their set was relentless and utterly exhausting, but brilliant and demonstrated why they were the front runners of this ferocious event.

This was a resounding success amongst the fans and bands alike, with everyone thoroughly enjoying themselves and letting loose, whether that was moshing, doing spinning kicks, jumping or taking over the stage, this was very brutal and was the mere definition of hardcore. Mammothfest now has three successful diverse all day gigs under their belts, all of which are contributing and building momentum and hype for the main festival, which takes place at The Arch venue yet again on October 6-8th. The metal scene is clearly strong in Brighton and these shows are a testimony to that. The shows highlight the ethos behind Mammothfest, bringing emerging and big acts together, offering something for all and showcasing the best local acts going. So spread the word of what savagery and enjoyment took place here and see you at the main Mammothfest event.

Six months ago the Green Door Store was one of the venues to host the triumphant Mammothfest 2016 which included headliners Venom Inc, Textures and Conan and now Brighton metal heads gathered again here, for the first all day ‘Mammothfest Presents’ show of 2017, with headliners Feed The Rhino. The band were set to appear at the festival back in 2015 but were unable to, so to make it up to fans they had the honour of headlining the first of many Mammothfest events that are set to occur throughout the year, gearing up to the main festival taking place October 6-8th 2017.

The first band to kick things off were a very last minute replacement. An alternative grunge rock act from Weymouth called Tension Head – but what a welcome addition. They had a great groovy grunge sound, and marked a very different sound to what Mammothfest audiences are used to, being more accessible and mainstream, but it went down a treat with everyone dancing along. Even though the day was young as it was only 2pm the turnout was surprisingly good…

Next to take to the stage and in stark contrast to the opener was death metallers, End Of Salvation who churned out their very mosh worthy hardcore evil sounds. They also tried to start a new trend across the music scene by introducing a move for whose one are holding a beer in their hand, so that everyone can participate in some way. The audience tested this out and it provided some perfect comical material that made their set even more memorable.

Local Brighton band Hawka kept the energy going and with it brought more crowd participation, with frontman Rich jumping off stage and going to the entrance to entice more people in to witness their massive and crushing sound, inspired by the likes of heavyweights Parkway Drive, Machine Head, Korn and more.

Photo by Luke Bateman

Crazy Kickfist with said barrel mentioned below!

One of the best sets came from interesting infused nu-metal/industrial punk-core act Kickfist who intrigued the masses with their unique metal and unrelenting sounds, including their unusual but great cover of Prodigy’s popular ‘Firestarter’. Lead by frontman, Zakk Zander who sported a black mask and a baseball bat, the crowds were enthralled and their industrial Slipknot-esque grooves saw the room head banging aplenty and move as one, as their sound commanded it. Near the end of their set Zakk whacked the bat against a barrel to add to their madness so aggressively that he broke it, making for an unforgettable performance.At the point when As Flames Rise came on, it was still considered quite early at 5pm and I don’t think the band were prepared for the carnage that unfolded and by such a humbling crowd reaction, playing their energetic melodic metal to a packed room now. Here is where some of the progressing circle pit action started to emerge, goaded by their hard hitting dual vocals and fast paced brutal guitars.Core of iO mixed things up, being one of the first tech metal acts to grace the stage, with a hard heavy rock twist to stand out even further. They showered us with technical dynamic and intelligible sounds, and really showed off their impressive craftsmanship. To keep things well balanced vocalist/guitarist, Bob Tett injected some light hearted humour, commanding the stage even when not playing any music.Technical melodic metal act The Five Hundred made a mighty return to Mammothfest audiences after opening the festival last year, supporting Textures. As before they got straight to the point, immediately asserting themselves with a very commanding stage presence and sound which was crushing, especially aided by evil demonic vocals from John Eley that soared and punished your eardrums. The crowd were very responsive, particularly during their well-known offering ‘Winters’, as well as treating us to an instant fan favourite with new song, ‘The Rush’ taken from their upcoming EP, ‘The Veil’.

Photo by Luke Bateman

Seething Akira’s Mental Set captivated!

The biggest surprise and moment of the night came from electronic dub hard rock heroes, Seething Akira who managed to take crowd participation and energy to a whole new level. They brought the party with their massive mental dance sounds, with the crowd going absolutely wild, with impressive pits forming. It was a non-stop spectacle that had to be seen to be believed. Inspired by the mental antics, frontman Kit Cuntrad threw himself into the crowd, in what was one of the most memorable and thrilling moments of the day, with the crowd proudly holding him high. Everyone in the room was jumping, moshing or bouncing, not a single soul was stood still, a sign that they simple destroyed it. This is a band you need to witness live.

Another anticipated and triumphant return back to Mammothfest was from Bleed Again, a fresh modern metal act from the South Coast. The band delivered one of the most energetic and unrelenting sets of 2016, coming close to upstaging bigger acts. This time round they caused quite a commotion yet again with their massive melodic metal, forcing the crowd to jump and shout along during their entire set, living up to their expectations. They were missing their bass player but luckily had Seething Akira bassist, Richard Speaight to fill in. Unfortunately because of this they didn’t play some of their most dominating songs such as ‘Walk Through The Fire’ and ‘Through My Eyes’, but they did play many a crowd pleaser with songs taken from their upcoming debut album, ‘Momentum’, such as ‘Drowning In Dreams’ and latest song, ‘Decimate’. They end on a belter with ‘Icarus’ which the crowds knew and shouted in unison.

Photo by Luke Bateman

Magna Carta – masters of the metal party anthems!

An explosive set came from Brighton based Metal/Drum ‘n’ Bass crossover act, Magna Carta who evolved from Collisions. Merging new members of other bands to bring their formidable new line-up, with James Hayball (ex Terrathorn) and Steve Dickson (the masked man in Meta-stasis as well as the man behind Mammothfest!). They opened up the dancefloor of metal madness, with endless pits and bouncing unity that left the whole room with an electrifying atmosphere. The perfect main support to get the crowds ready for the monstrous headliners…

Photo by Ajit Dutta

Headliners Feed The Rhino had the crowd on their knees!

When Feed The Rhino took to the stage, the rammed room suggested the crowd were eager and hungry for Rhino! From start to finish they didn’t let up, offering an hour of craziness and endless energy. Lead singer, Lee Tobin couldn’t contain himself, as he darted around the room and off the stage to get up close and personal with the fans. The band clearly were admired by the fans who awaited their return, and the band themselves revelled being at the forefront of this event, keeping their promise to play following their cancellation in 2015, and making it up to everyone beyond expectations. They delivered a brilliant headliner set and ended the day on an extremely intense yet insanely fun note.This was a very successful start to the Mammothfest shows. For an all dayer the crowd were energetic and dedicated throughout, even early on in the day, highlighting the importance of such events and how strong the music scene is in Brighton. The atmosphere from the bands and the crowd was amazing, with everyone enjoying themselves and having a blast, especially aided by the newly launched debut of the Mammothfest cider, with the unveiling going down a treat, another proud moment and success the team can add to their list! Mammothfest is thriving and I’m sure the word will spread of the carnage and joy that was witnessed here and will continue at the upcoming shows.

LIVE REPORT: Children Of Bodom – Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London – 12th March 2017 by Carina Lawrence

Finnish Melodic metallers, Children Of Bodom party hard for their two decade milestone!
Children Of Bodom have impressively been delivering their mixed metal genre, comprised of elements of extreme, power, symphonic and neoclassical for twenty years now and are one of Finland’s finest and bestselling metal artists for their efforts. The band decided to celebrate their hefty two decade reign with the fans on their ‘Down & Dirty’ tour…
It is a pretty packed venue for a Sunday night in London’s 02 Shepherd’s Bush Empire which is a well-known music venue, with a beautiful interior and the perfect place to host the bands night of glory and merry atmosphere…
They fittingly take us back to the very beginning opening with a song from their debut 1998 album ‘Something Wild’ launching straight into chaos with ‘Deadnight Warrior’ which immediately gets the crowd going wild, especially following their impatience before the band came out, chanting ‘Bodom!’ to summon them. Sticking with their debut they churn out ‘In The Shadows’ after this. They treat us to many songs from their first offering later in to the set also with, ‘Red Light In My Eyes,Pt 2’, ‘Lake Bodom’, and also revisit it in the encore with ‘The Nail’.

There isn’t much talking from lead guitarist/vocalist, Alex Laiho, as he appears so eager to let loose and play, to simply revel playing endless skilled guitar solo with slick ease, with no complaints from the crowds. When he does briefly talk he is filled with gratitude for the crowd participation and carnage unfolding.
The played a range of brilliant songs spanning their twenty year career as you would expect, including the ever popular ‘Needled 24/7’, ‘Downfall’, ‘Everytime I Die’, ‘Hate Me’. There was however a lack of songs taken from some of their latest albums, such as their current and ninth album with 2015’s ‘I Worship Chaos’ and the previous album, ‘Halo Of Blood’, but seeing as they have nine albums, they can’t play them all, and every single song they plucked out with furious speed went down a storm anyway – these dedicated and mad fans were hungry for any Bodom songs!
Other songs they graced us with came largely from their 2000 album, ‘Follow The Reaper’ with classic likes ‘Bodom After Midnight’ and ‘Children Of Decadence’. The end this triumphant show fittingly they go out playing ‘Towards Dead End’.

For a Sunday night this was mental in terms of the turn out and the energy. The band seemed very conscious and considerate of fans handing out lots of water to the people at the front of the hectic and sweaty pits! There was a lot of crowd surfing, or at least many attempts of this before security stopped them in their glorious plight, expressing their gratitude for the band, along with plenty of head banging, some great circle pits and just general antics – even in the seated areas some fans struggled to stay to their seats, frantically getting up to bounce around and go nuts, showing that all fans were fully engaged and hanging on to every note. They absolutely slayed with all the guitar and keyboard solos especially, that are amazing to witness, with the crowd appreciating each and every one, which there is certainly no shortage off! This was an epic night which left everyone buzzing through their high intensity, energetic and unforgettable performance!